KEALAKEHE — Keiki flooded up the stairs here on Monday morning, ready to start a new chapter.
And when the day was done, they descended down those same stairs in the afternoon to their ohana leaning on railings and light poles waiting for them to hear about all the news.
“Good. Great. Excellent,” second-grader Keakua Kaawa-Nolan II described the first day of school, embracing his father, Keakua Kaawa-Nolan.
He had the chance to show off his new shoes and Pokemon hat before his sister, fourth-grader Kayleigh, made her own way up the long stairwell.
She seemed more relaxed than her brother, who was tapping his feet and bouncing in place.
Principal Nancy Matsukawa said everything went well, especially as the students remembered the “rituals and rules” of school.
Such as with what they call “shaka lines,” where students must keep quiet and in a single line. Matsukawa said that for the most part students were back in the shaka lines without trouble.
Ilani Cruise, wearing a set of golden, gem-decorated cat ears, had a good day, particularly as she almost made star student the first day, she said.
Her older sister, Wiliene, wasn’t quite as thrilled, although she did admit that it was exciting to be back in school.
An “OK day,” she called it.
It wasn’t until she was leaving school that the transition from summer break to the school year was started. But she said she’s ready.
For Christy Bradley, crossing guard known as the “stop sign lady,” it was back to normal, which can have its dangerous moments.
“It’s like I’m wearing a cloak of invisibility,” she said of the reflective vest, badge and white gloves she wore.
That seemed true Monday as drivers would pull into the intersection as she stepped out, or tailgate in an attempt to get through the intersection before she moved.
But, brandishing the stop sign, she would head out, waving people back and forth.
The school wasn’t quite full on Monday — kindergartners begin school later this week.
Matsukawa said family members have to remember to fill out the paperwork sent home with their children this week. There will be some additional materials sent with the weekday Thursday folder, she said.